Container for consumer goods with sliding inner frame

Abstract

A container ( 10 ) for consumer goods, the container comprising: an outer housing comprising a box portion ( 12 ), a lid portion ( 14 ) moveable between a closed position and an open position, and a hinged connector ( 16 ) connecting the box portion ( 12 ) and the lid portion ( 14 ); a plurality of consumer goods ( 20 ) received within the box portion ( 12 ); and an inner frame ( 18 ) slidably received within the outer housing and positioned between the plurality of consumer goods ( 20 ) and the box portion ( 12 ). The inner frame ( 18 ) is slidable between a lowered position and a raised position and comprises an inner frame front wall ( 36 ), an inner frame back wall ( 38 ), opposed inner frame side walls and a lifting element ( 48 ), depending from the bottom edge of a wall of the inner frame ( 18 ) and extending into the opening at the bottom end of the inner frame. At least part of the lifting element ( 18 ) is positioned between a box portion bottom wall and the consumer goods. The lid portion ( 14 ) depends along a first hinge line ( 30 ) from the hinged connector and along a second hinge line ( 44 ) from the inner frame ( 18 ) so that the inner frame ( 18 ) slides between the lowered position and the raised position as the lid portion ( 14 ) moves between the closed position and the open position.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A container for consumer goods, the container comprising:
 an outer housing comprising a box portion, a lid portion moveable between a closed position and an open position, and a hinged connector connecting the box portion and the lid portion; 
 a plurality of consumer goods received within the box portion; and 
 an inner frame slidably received within the outer housing and positioned between the plurality of consumer goods and the box portion, wherein the inner frame is slidable between a lowered position and a raised position, wherein the inner frame comprises an inner frame front wall, an inner frame back wall, opposed inner frame side walls and an opening at the bottom end, and wherein the inner frame further comprises a lifting element depending from the bottom edge of a wall of the inner frame and extending into the opening at the bottom end of the inner frame, at least part of the lifting element being positioned between a box portion bottom wall and the consumer goods such that sliding the inner frame from the lowered position towards the raised position engages the lifting element with a selection of the plurality of consumer goods and lifts the selection of consumer goods away from the box portion bottom wall, 
 wherein the lid portion depends along a first hinge line from the hinged connector and along a second hinge line from the inner frame so that the inner frame slides between the lowered position and the raised position as the lid portion moves between the closed position and the open position. 
 
     
     
       2. The container according to  claim 1  wherein the hinged connector depends along a third hinge line from the box portion. 
     
     
       3. The container according to  claim 1  wherein the hinged connector forms at least a part of a lid portion back wall. 
     
     
       4. The container according to  claim 3  wherein the lid portion comprises a lid portion top wall and a lid portion back wall and wherein the hinged connector is formed of an intermediate panel of the lid portion back wall, the intermediate panel depending along the first hinge line from the lid portion top wall and along the third hinge line from the box portion. 
     
     
       5. The container according to  claim 1  wherein the lid portion comprises a first lid portion back panel depending along the second hinge line from the inner frame back wall and a second lid portion back panel depending along the second hinge line from the inner frame back wall and wherein the hinged connector extends between the first and second lid portion back panels. 
     
     
       6. The container according to  claim 5  wherein the lid portion comprises a lid portion back wall and wherein the first lid portion back panel, the second lid portion back panel and the hinged connector are formed from a part of the lid portion back wall. 
     
     
       7. The container according to  claim 5  wherein the inner frame further comprises an inner frame connector panel depending along the second hinge line from the inner frame back wall and wherein the inner frame connector panel is affixed to the inner surface of the first and second lid portion back panels. 
     
     
       8. The container according to  claim 1  wherein the lifting element depends from a bottom edge of the inner frame front wall. 
     
     
       9. The container according to  claim 8  wherein the lifting element comprises a bottom lift panel positioned between the box portion bottom wall and the consumer goods and at least one side lift panel extending from the bottom lift panel between consumer goods. 
     
     
       10. The container according to  claim 1  wherein the lid portion has both a pivotal movement and a translational movement relative to the box portion as the lid portion moves between the closed position and the open position. 
     
     
       11. The container according to  claim 1  further comprising an inner wrapper wrapped around the plurality of consumer goods, the inner wrapper comprising an aperture in a position corresponding to the lifting element of the inner frame such that the lifting element can contact the selection of consumer goods through the aperture. 
     
     
       12. The container according to  claim 11  wherein the inner wrapper is affixed to the inner surface of the box portion bottom wall. 
     
     
       13. The container according to  claim 1  wherein the outer housing is formed of a single laminar blank. 
     
     
       14. The container according to  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of consumer goods comprises a plurality of aerosol-generating articles. 
     
     
       15. A method for producing a container, the method comprising the steps of:
 providing a first laminar blank having a box-defining portion, a lid-defining portion and a hinged connector between the box-defining portion and the lid-defining portion, wherein the lid-defining portion depends along a first hinge line from the hinged connector; 
 providing a second laminar blank comprising a frame-defining portion and one or more lift panels for defining a lifting element, wherein the frame-defining portion comprises a frame front wall panel, a frame back wall panel, a first frame side wall panel and a second frame side wall panel, and wherein the one or more lift panels depend from the bottom edge of a wall panel of the frame-defining portion; 
 wrapping the second laminar blank around a plurality of consumer goods such that the lifting element is positioned underneath a selection of the consumer goods; 
 assembling the first laminar blank around the inner frame to form the box portion, lid portion and hinged connector of the outer housing; and 
 connecting the lid portion to the inner frame such that the lid portion depends from the inner frame about a second hinge line.